Golden State is on the brink of locking in a pillar of its future.
The Warriors and Poole are finalizing a four-year contract extension worth up to $140 million with incentives, leagues sources confirmed Saturday morning.
The two are expected to shore up the details on the off day and announce the agreement soon. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was first to report the deal, which will kick in after this season. Poole is slated to make $3.9 million for the 2022-23 campaign.
The rookie contract extension deadline is Monday, the day before the Warriors open the season with a championship ring and banner ceremony before their game against the Los Angeles Lakers. If a deal wasn’t reached Poole would’ve become a restricted free agent next summer.
But it appeared the Warriors were never going to let it get to that point. Extending Poole was always among Golden State’s top priority of this offseason, though three other players — Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson — are also extension eligible.
Poole was one of the league’s biggest breakout stars of last season who served as a key contributor on their championship team and this deal further establishes his spot as the future of the franchise. Poole’s $140 million is the most out of the 2019 rookie class extension. The Heat recently signed guard Tyler Herro to a four-year, $130 million extension.
Poole, the 28th pick in the 2019 draft, seems to have a higher upside than Herro after he took a major developmental leap last season and seems poised to be even better as the Warriors’ sixth man in their title defense this year.
After spending some time in the G League trying to get his footing and work on every aspect of his game, Poole became one of the Warriors’ most reliable players last season as he exceeded expectations when tasked with filling in for both Klay Thompson and Steph Curry when they were injured.
Poole, 23, went from averaging 12 points during the 2020-21 season to 18.5 points last season. He had only one 30-point game in his first two NBA campaigns, but tallied 12 last season, including twice in the playoffs. He was also one of only five NBA players to have 17-or-more consecutive games with 20-plus points this season.
News of Poole’s pending deal comes just over a week after Draymond Green punched the fourth-year guard in the face at practice for unspecified reasons. In the wake of the incident, Poole’s coaches and teammates praised his demeanor and the way he handled the situation that was escalated when a video of the brutal punch was leaked.
“Especially considering where he was coming out of Michigan, a late first-round pick, struggling his first few months in the league, there’s a reason he’s in this position, about to sign a big extension, hopefully,” coach Steve Kerr said last week. “He’s just tough. He’s mentally tough and physically tough and ultra confident in his game.”
